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Educational Institutions

The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG) for the Advancement of Science is one of Germany's largest, independent, not-for-profit research organisations. In our 82 research institutes, more than 5.500 scientists conduct research of the highest caliber in the areas of natural sciences, bio-sciences, mathematics, astronomy, social sciences, and the humanities. Max Planck scientists carry out cutting-edge research at the frontiers of traditional and emerging research fields and claim no fewer than seventeen Nobel Prize Laureates among their ranks.

The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) is the self-governing body of the research community in Germany. As such, it is also a research funding agency - in fact, it is Europe's largest funding agency for fundamental research. DFG serves all branches of science and the humanities and operates in a bottom-up manner: in almost all of its funding lines, there are no deadlines and no thematic priorities. DFG promotes excellence by selecting the best research projects on a competitive basis. DFG actively encourages international research cooperation, promotes young researchers and fosters gender equality in science and academia. In these and other matters, DFG also advises legislatures and government agencies.

RWTH Aachen University is a place where the future of our industrialised world is thought out. The University is proving to be a hotspot with increasing international recognition where innovative answers to global challenges are developed.

Established in 1737, the University of Göttingen is a research university of international renown with a strong focus on research -based teaching. The university distinguishes itself through the diversity of its subject spectrum, its excellent facilities for the pursuit of scientific research, and the outstan-ding quality of the focus areas that define its profile.

Forschungszentrum Jülich makes a vital contribution to solving major challenges facing society in the fields of information, energy, and bioeconomy. It focuses on the future of information technologies and information processing, complex processes in the human brain, the transformation of the energy system, and a sustainable bioeconomy. Forschungszentrum Jülich develops simulation and data sciences as a key research method and makes use of large, often unique, scientific infrastructures. Its work spans a range of topics and disciplines and it exploits synergies between the research areas. With some 5,800 employees, Jülich – a member of the Helmholtz Association – is one of Europe's large research centres.

The University of Cologne is one of the largest and oldest universities in Germany. True to its motto ‘good ideas since 1388’, the University continues to successfully combine novelty with tradition in its research and teaching and has produced a number of famous academics over the decades including Kurt Alder (chemist) and Konrad Adenauer (former German chancellor).

The University of Cologne is located in the Rhineland – a mega-urban region in the heart of Europe. This region has excellent working and living conditions and is one of Europe’s most developed research and economic areas, making it highly attractive for students and researchers alike.

Founded in 1386, Heidelberg University is Germany’s oldest university, and one of the top research universities in Europe. Its success in international rankings documents its leading position in the scientific landscape.

Heidelberg University is a comprehensive university, offering the full spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, law and the social sciences alongside the natural and life sciences, including medicine. Among the university’s most prominent research areas are transcultural studies, molecular life sciences, medicine, physics, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics and scientific computing. As a comprehensive university, Heidelberg is deeply committed to strengthening its disciplines and to fostering interdisciplinary cooperation, as well as to carrying research results over into society and industry.

For over 60 years, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working jointly with partners in India for sustainable economic, ecological, and social development. Currently, GIZ has over 340 employees in India, of whom 70 per cent are national personnel.

India is fast emerging as an economic and industrial power. It is a member of the ‘Group of Twenty’ (G20) as well as one of the five major emerging national economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). Despite the country’s rapidly growing economy, poverty and other socio-economic issues remain a challenge. The burgeoning population and accelerated urbanisation in the country have resulted in an environment at risk and greenhouse gas emissions that continue to spiral upwards.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) are opening the possibility for joint Indo-German research project funding in the field of Materials Science and Engineering (DFG review boards 405 and 406). Effective immediately, Indo-German teams of researchers in this field are invited to submit joint proposals describing integrated research projects with a duration of up to three years. As is common in funding activities of this sort, DST are looking to fund the Indian side of Indo-German projects, while DFG would fund the German side.

Researchers interested in synchronized Indian-German funding in Materials Science and Engineering have until 21 November 2018 to submit their proposals. The proposals will be evaluated separately by DST and DFG. Support will then be granted for those proposals where both DFG’s and DST’s decision-making bodies recommend funding.

The German Centre for Research and Innovation (DWIH), New Delhi, organised the third and final station of its “Excellence on Tour!” (EoT) program from 22nd – 28th March 2014 in Kolkata at Science City. The EoT provided a platform for all interested students and scientists from Kolkata and neighboring regions to interact with representatives and scientists from various German higher-education institutes, universities and research-organizations. Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG) along with the other consortium members of DWIH, New Delhi participated in EoT, Kolkata with great enthusiasm. The EoT pavilion was visited by more than 10,000 visitors and the event as a whole was well received by the public, press and media. Prof. Dr. Laurent Gizon, Director, Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany was invited to deliver one of the key-note speeches along with other dignitaries during the inauguration ceremony on 22nd of March 2014.